[Yonhap Photo]
Two men have been arrested for digging a 40-meter-long underground tunnel for 45 days only with shovels and hoes to gain access to an oil pipeline running along a railroad.
A 50-year-old man identified by his surname Lee and his colleagues finally hit the jackpot in March this year by connecting rubber tubes from their workshop in a rural town of Okcheon, some 160 kilometers south of Seoul, to the pipeline.
For three months, they were accused of stealing a total of 370,000 liters of oil worth 480 million won (424,104 US dollars), or 20,000 liters a day to avoid detection by authorities.
[Yonhap Photo]
Stolen oil was sold about 200 won cheaper than the market price to gas stations. Their secret operation ended when police tracked down an illegal trade of oil and raided Lee's workshop.
Crime equipment such as rubber hoses and CCTVs were confiscated, police said, adding they would launch an investigation to see whether there are more underground tunnels used for stealing oil.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
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